Parents urge China to allow gay marriage

A parents’ organization of the LGBT community in China have signed an open letter urging the government to legalize gay marriage.

More than 100 parents have expressed their dismay and anger regarding the impossibility of their gay progeny to have legal unions with their partners. This open discussion is a significant advance in traditional Chinese society, showing unprecedented freedom to make petitions of this nature to the government.

The organization PFLAG China (Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), has opened an online group in Chinese to allow the parents to express their sentiments and show support for their gay children. PFLAG China is not affiliated to the American NGO of the same name.

According to Shanghai Daily, the open letter posted online says: Some of our children have lived with their same-sex partners for nearly 10 years. They love and take care of each other, but when one of them gets sick and needs a legal signature for emergency surgery, his or her partner cannot even sign as a family member.